1 . Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mineral composite, and particularly to a finely divided or powdered mineral composite, containing a wide variety of minerals in a small, relatively uniform particle size, which may be added to soil for stimulating activity of beneficial fungi and other useful microorganisms contained therein, and for thereby enhancing the growth rate and mineral content of plants and vegetables grown in the soil. The invention also pertains to methods of using the composite to treat soil, and to methods of growing plants, having enhanced mineral content, in such treated soil.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
There are known mineral composites for being added to soil, compost and the like to stimulate the activity of microorganisms, to counter balance the natural acidity of the soil, etc. Some of such known mineral composites include Azomite(copyright) by Peak Minerals of Colorado Springs, Colo., Mineral Rite(trademark) by Vulcan Materials Company of Winston-Salem, N.C., Sacred Mountain Mineral soil additive by Sacred Mountain Minerals of Rohnert Park, Calif., and Bio 2(trademark) glacial rock powder by Meridian Environmental Group, Inc. of Okemos, Mich. Each of these known products is essentially powdered rocks such as the dust or fines from a gravel pit, sea bed or the like, and contains a large variety of minerals, mostly in the form of oxides or other compounds.
Further, there are known publications which specifically address and advocate the practice of soil remineralization through addition of rock powders thereto. One such publication is Remineralize The Earth, a periodical published by Remineralize the Earth, Inc. of Northampton, Mass. This publication discusses various mineral composites which have been added to soils by persons for various reasons, and various effects achieved thereby. Several books are available which discuss adding rock powder to soil, including Bread from Stones by Dr. Julius Hensel, Secrets of the Soil by Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird, and The Survival of Civilization by John Hamaker and Don Weaver.
Although the known mineral composites, including those discussed above and in the known publications, are somewhat useful and effective as soil additives, they still remain to be improved upon. For example, each of the Azomite(copyright), Sacred Mountain Mineral, Vulcan materials and Bio 2(trademark) mineral supplements contain a large proportion of silicon in the form of silicon dioxide or sand (SiO2), i.e., between 49% and 87% by weight of the entire composition is silicon dioxide, whereas silicon dioxide has relatively little stimulative effect on microorganisms in the soil as compared with other minerals such as ferric oxide (Fe2O3), calcium oxide (CaO), magnesium oxide (MgO), etc.
Further, the known mineral composites, although in powdered form, have relatively large or coarse, and non-uniform particle sizes. For example, a sample of the Bio2(trademark) product was analyzed and found to have an average particle size of 22.28 microns, and with only 86% of the particles able to pass through a 325 mesh (44 micron) screen. Larger particle size for the mineral supplements is not desirable, because larger particles present less accessible surface area than smaller particles would. As a result, larger particles have less stimulatory effects on the microorganisms in the soil, i.e., they are not readily or easily assimilated by the microorganisms and plants, whereby a lesser overall stimulatory effect is achieved even if a larger quantity of the mineral composite is applied.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,927,122 to Wallace discloses a method for the biological degradation of organic containing waste matter, in which a mineral composite consisting essentially of a glacial deposit is added to the waste matter, in an amount ranging from 1 part mineral composite per 15 parts organic matter contained in the waste matter, to 1 part mineral composite per 400 parts organic matter. The particle size disclosed in this reference is below about 70% mesh size at 100 mesh, and preferably, below about 70% of mesh size at 200 mesh. The disclosure of Wallace U.S. Pat. No. 4,927,122 is hereby incorporated by reference.
The present invention has been developed to overcome the limitations and disadvantages associated with the known mineral composite additives.
It is an object of the invention to provide a mineral composite for use as a soil additive having an effective combination of numerous mineral oxides as might be found in a natural glacial deposit, a gravel quarry or the like, but wherein the supplement has a reduced silicon content as compared to the conventional glacial deposits, sea beds, rock quarries, etc. which are used in making the conventional mineral composites. Preferably, the mineral composite according to the present invention has not more than 20 percent, by weight, of silicon.
It is another object of the invention to provide such a mineral supplement having a very fine particle size to achieve a prompt, optimum stimulatory effect on microorganisms in the soil, in waste water, in compost or solid waste, etc.
It is another object of the invention to provide a simple and economic method of making the mineral composite from naturally occurring glacial deposits, rock quarries, etc.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a simple and effective method for remineralizing soil using the mineral supplement, and optionally, this method may also involve treating the soil with mycorrhizae spores, with externally added bacteria, with humate, with a biodegradable carbohydrate source, and/or with other beneficial additives. These additives are preferably added to the mineral composite before adding it to the substrate to be treated.
According to the invention there is provided a mineral composite consisting essentially of a naturally occurring glacial deposit comprising not more than 20 weight percent Si, 10-20 weight percent Ca, 2-10 weight percent Mg, 2-10 weight percent Fe, 1-10 weight percent K, 1-5 weight percent Al, 0-3.0 weight percent Na, 0-5.0 weight percent Ti, 0-1.0 weight percent Mn, 0-0.5 weight percent P, 0-0.01 weight percent Ba, and 0-0.005 Cr; and wherein the mineral composite is in powdered form, with an average particle size of 2-20 microns, possibly 1-10 microns, and preferably 1-9 microns. In a preferred embodiment of a mineral composite in accordance with the present invention, over 90% of the mineral composite has a mean particle size less than or equal to 10xcexc, based on the total number of particles, and with a surface area of at least 0.8 m2/cm3.
The above components of the mineral composite are present in compound form, typically oxides, and the mineral composite also preferably comprises approximately 50-65 other elements due to the natural occurrence thereof in the glacial deposit, although the other elements are mostly present in relatively small quantities.
The other elements may include 2-15 weight percent C, 0.00005-0.005 weight percent of each of Ni and Zn, 0.0005-0.02 weight percent Rb, 0.005-0.1 weight percent Sr, 0.001-0.025 Zr, 0.0001-0.01 weight percent La, 0.00005-0.005 Gd, 0.00005-0.0005 Yb, 0.0001-0.0025 weight percent of each of Pb and Li, 0.00005-0.0150 weight percent Y, 0.00005-0.0025 weight percent Ce, 0.00001-0.0015 weight percent Yb, 0.0001-0.0025 weight percent B, 0.0005-0.01 weight percent Ga, 0.00005-0.0005 weight percent of each of Er and Lu, 0.0001-0.0025 weight percent V, 0.0001-0.0025 Sc, and trace amounts of Be, Co, Cu, Ge, As, Se, Nb, Mo, Ru, Rh, Pd, Cd, Sn, Te, Cs, Nd, Sm, Eu, Tb, Di, Ho, Tm, Hf, Ta, W, Os, Ir, Pt, Au, Hg, Tl, Th, Ag, Sb, Pr, Re, Bi, and U.
Also preferably, as a result of being finely divided, the mineral composite according to the invention will have average particle size of between 2 and 20 microns, preferably less than 10 microns, and at least 0.8 square meters of surface area per cubic centimeter of the mineral composite.
It has been found that the mineral composite as described above is particularly effective for stimulating microbiological activity in soil in relatively small doses, e.g., 1-12 kilograms per cubic meter of soil, preferably 1-7 kg of the mineral composite per cubic meter of soil, although greater or lesser amounts of the composite may be added to the soil for achieving an optimum result, depending on the organic content of the soil. Soil with a high organic content can utilize a greater quantity of the composite because the higher organic content of the soil can appropriately sustain a higher level of enhanced microbiological activity. Additionally, the mineral composite provides relatively immediate results because its very small particle size permits it to be readily assimilated by the microorganisms in the soil and by the plants growing in the soil.
In particular, the mineral composite according to the present invention is believed to be especially effective in promoting the growth of beneficial symbiotic mycorrhizae fungi on the roots of growing plants, which leads to the growth of healthier plants.
Also according to the invention there is also provided a method of forming a mineral composite comprising the steps of: obtaining a naturally occurring glacial deposit including not more than 20 weight percent Si, 10-20 weight percent Ca, 2-10 weight percent Mg, 1-10 weight percent Fe, 1-10 weight percent K, 1-10 weight percent Al, 0-3.0 weight percent Na, 0-1.0 weight percent Ti, 0-1.0 weight percent Mn, 0-0.5 weight percent P, 0-0.5 weight percent Ba and 0-0.005 Cr; and pulverizing the glacial deposit into a fine powder having a mean particle size of 1-20xcexc and a surface area of at least 0.8-1.5 m2/cm3.
Other objects, advantages, and salient features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description which, when viewed in conjunction with the appended drawings, describes the presently preferred embodiment of the invention.